Book questions "Magic of reality"

Book questins from the Book "Magic of Reality" from Richard Dawkins

Book questins from the Book "Magic of Reality" from Richard Dawkins

Simon Neumann

Simon Neumann

Kartei Details

Karten 84
Sprache English
Kategorie Literatur
Stufe Mittelschule
Erstellt / Aktualisiert 27.12.2016 / 28.12.2016
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Chapter 1

How do we know that things exist?

Five senses

Chapter 1


Apart from our five senses, what other ways are there to find out what things exist(ed)?

Scientific instruments

Chapter 1


Why are telescope like a time machine?

We look at far-away galaxies where the light emitted takes a long time to reach us

Chapter 1


Why are models used in science?

Models describe something complex/abstact part of the scientific procedure:

hypothesis, experiment, proof

Chapter 1


What was Gregor Mendel's achievement?

Laws of heredity

Chapter 1


Which three senses (meanings) of the term "magic" does Dawkins describe?

Which one does he use in his title?

Supernatural magic

poetic magic

stage magic

title: poetic magic

Chapter 1

What does the history of science show?

the scientific process constantly expands what we can explain

Chapter 1


What is illustrated by the example of the pack of cards?

Laws of probability determine all events

Chapter 1


What fundamental question did Darwin answer? And what was his answer?

How do complex organisms come into existence?

Gradual change

Chapter 1

What is Darwin's great idea called in short?

Evolution by natural selection

Chapter 2

How does Dawkins illustrate 185 million generations?

With piles of pictures, a tower of 70'000 m, 180 New York skyscrapers,

Chapter 2


Why is the change from fish to human not easily noted?

Because the changes are so gradual, in tiny steps. Changes only visible when you skip lots of pictures

Chapter 2


What do fossils show? And how are they dated?

Earlier forms of life on the planet, can be dated using the half-life of atomic isotopes

Chapter 2


Why is the concept of evolution hard to understand?

Because is nearly invisible, being so gradual

Chapter 2


what is DNA?

DNA is a genetic information code contained in every living cell

Chapter 3

Why are there different languages?

Languages split up over time and due to geographical barriers, they drift apart

Chapter 3


What is the eyuivalent of words in animals?

Genes

Chapter 3

What is the differents between species and languages?

Words can be integrated in other languages, while genes never mix in separate species

Chapter 3

Why are islands important for the development of different species?

Because they provide geographical barriers that allow the development of separate species

Chapter 3


What is special about the galapagos islands?

They are comparatively young islands, so the iguanas must have arrived from the main land and the developed into separate species on the various islands

Chapter 3


How did the swimming iguanas of the Galapagos islands develop?

On one Island, iguanas ate seawood, and natural selection favoured skilled swimmers

Chapter 3


What happens to the gene pool over generations?

It changes under the influence of the environment

Chapter 4


What are things made of?

Made of atoms

Chapter 4


What are elements? What is a compound? What is a molecule?

Elements are a type of atoms

compound: a material with different atoms

molecule: a group of atoms

Chapter 4


What are crystals?

Atoms arranged in a fixed structure

Chapter 4


What are the three states of matter? When they do occur?

solid, liquid, gas

depends on temperature and pressure

Chapter 4


Try to describe the Rutherford/Bohr model of atoms in your own word

Solar system with a solid center (core with protons and neutrons) and "planets" as electrons whizzing around it.

Chapter 4


Why is a diamond crystal almost entirely made up of empty space?

Most of the mass of an atom is contained in its core. Distance from one core to the next: If core were a football, next core would be 15 km away

Chapter 4


What holds solid matter together?

electromagnetic charges and fields

Chapter 4


What determines the mass of an object

The mass of the cores, especially large atoms with many protons and neutrons

Chapter 4

What is carbon chemistry called

Organic chemistry

Chapter 4


What is special about carbon?

Carbon can form lang chains and combines really well to create all the molecules of living matter

Chapter 5

What is the illusion of relative movement?

Example of moving train (is your train moving and the neighboring train still, or it's the other way around); illusion that sun moves around earth

Chapter 5


What does the Wittgenstein story illustrate?

It would look exactly the same if the earth turned around the sun.... shows how unimaginative people werde

Chapter 5


Is the earth closer to the sun in summer?

Distance more or less the same. Angle of sunlight changes; Because earth angle towards the sun remains the same throughout the year, combination of radiatian and length of day

Chapter 5


How does Dawkins explain the orbital movement of the earth and the sun?

Massive cannonball which is shot at high speed, falling in a circular way around the object

Chapter 5


What is an ellipse, and how can you draw one?

Geometrical shape; using a piece of cord and two pins

Chapter 5

What is a geostationary satellite?

Satellite remaining over the same spot on earth

Chapter 5


How do comets move?

With slingshot effect, gravity of planets

Chapter 5


What is the true reason for summer and winter?

Earth's rational fixed angle and length of day